Improvement in contracting truss-hoops



l. HUGELAND. .-Contractinlg Truss-Hoops.' N l4Q,933, Patented April 21,1874.

l IAEL "YOLLXTLCL N UNITED STATES PATENT GEEIGE ISRAEL HOGELAND, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CONTRACTING TRUSS-HOOPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,933, dated April 21, 1874; application Sled December 15, 1873.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Beit known that I, IsRAEL HoGELAND, of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Contracting Truss Hoop, to be used in forming staves of wet or green lumber into barrels, kegs, or other articles of cooperage; and I do hereby declare the same tov be fully described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawing, of which- Figure l1 is a view of the hoop with spring attached; and Fig; 2 shows the application of the hoop in forming barrels, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

The object of my invention is to provide a contracting-hoop that, When placed' on any kind of barrel, tub, or other article of cooperage made directly from slabs or staves cut from boiled or steamed timber, and while yet in a soft wet state,will have the effect of drawing the staves together as they dry and shrink,

so that when the wood becomes properly sea-y soned the shape of the barrel will be retained, and it will be ready for finishing with ordinary iiat or round hoops. The use of fire in shaping the vessel isl thus avoided, and the immediate use of the slabs or staves as soon as cutis facilitated, withoutwaitin g for their slow drying in the rick or kiln.

As will be seen by reference to the drawing, my invention consists of a wooden or metallic hoop, A, provided with a spiral spring or its equivalent, B, attached to the two ends thereof, so as to constantly draw the ends together when properly placedon a barrel or other wooden vessel subject to shrinkage While seasoning or drying. After the staves have become thoroughly seasoned, and the barrel receives its proper shape, it may then be iinished with ordinary hoops in a permanent manner.

By Jthe use of a contractinghoop, constructed as above described, in forming and shaping slabs ot' soft and green lumber into various articles of cooperage a great saving will be effected in time, material, and expense of manufacture.

The great advantage resulting from the use of my invention Will appear when the diiculty of forming barrels from dry staves is remembered, suchV material being liable to split, so as to be almost useless for purposes of cooperage, While slabs used soft and Wet, as they come from the veneering-machine, can be readily bent and held in the desired shape byy means lof my contracting truss-hoopwithout any injury Whatever.

Having thus described my invention, wha I claim .as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The contracting truss-hoop, constructed, as shown and described, for the purpose of forming staves of green' lumber into barrels and other articles of cooperage, substantially'as set forth. y

Indianapolis, Ind., Nov. 11, 1878.

Witnesses: ISRAEL HOGELAND.

C. C. DARIU's, C. J. DRoEGE. 

